For an Institute of Political Studies united in solidarity Call for support - No to partnerships complicit in apartheid

This petition is an objection to the partnership signed between Rennes Institute of Political Studies (France) and Tel Aviv University (TAU) aimed at researchers, PhD students and university professors. It defends on a wider scale the adoption of a charter commiting Rennes Institute of Political Studies not to sign any partership with israeli universities nor universities involved in human rights abuses.

For an IEP united in solidarity Call for support - No to partnerships complicit in apartheid

The University of Tel Aviv is criticized around the world for its involvement in Israel’s apartheid system and in the daily oppression of the Palestinians, and for its close links with the Israeli army through military technological, theoretical and strategic research and the training of future army officers.

We, students of the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) of Rennes, strongly protested on 30 March last year against the visit to our Institute by the Israeli ambassador to France, when the partnership between the IEP and the University of Tel Aviv became official. Since then, we are striving daily to ensure that this partnership comes to an end and is not renewed !

A petition has been launched to bring the voice of the students to the attention of the Institut’s decision-making bodies and, as of today ; it has almost 350 signatures. This initial effort at awareness-raising has not, however, been taken into account by the IEP’s management.

Consequently, we need external support for the strategy initiated in order to convince the management to put an end to this shameful partnership.
We therefore need the voices of all teachers, researchers, doctoral candidates and faculty professors.

The text to sign is here, with a preamble :

“Let us be aware of our power and act together to commit our schools to take a positive approach : that of promoting solidarity between peoples, not only through the boycott of Israeli universities but also by adopting a statement of principles aimed at neither establishing nor renewing any partnerships with bodies complicit in the crimes of apartheid – as is the case of the partnership between the IEP of Rennes and the University of Tel Aviv. It was through the boycott that the apartheid regime of South Africa came to an end, and we must seize this opportunity to act.

In the name of respect for international law, ethics, human rights and international solidarity, and in support to the students of the Rennes Institute of Political Studies, I endorse their request regarding :

The non-renewal of the partnership signed by the IEP of Rennes with the University of Tel Aviv.

The adoption of a statement whereby the IEP of Rennes commits itself to not establish partnerships with Israeli universities, nor with any universities which are complicit in the violation of human rights.”